Printing-block system.



E. McCABE. 'PRINTING BLOCK SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED N31. 1913- 1,152',L827. PatentedSept. 7, 1915.

wwfljasljas George L. M Gabe;

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE E. MCCABE, OF GRAND HAVEN, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO THE CHALLENGEMACHINERY COMPANY, INCORPORATED, 9F GRAND HAVEN, MICHIGAN.

PRINTING-BLOCK SYSTEM.

Application filed January 31, 1913.

To (ZZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gnoncn E. MGCABE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Grand Haven, in the county of Ottawa and State of Michigan,have invented certain new and useful. Improvements in Printing- BlockSystems, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a block system for printing press forms, whichconsists of a certain assortment of blocks, hooks and catches, by meansof which one or more plates may be secured in place to make up a page ofa given size or multiples thereof.

The principal object of the invention is to operate a font of blocks,hooks and catches by means of which it is possible to vary the length orwidth of the makeup forms with the greatest ease and accuracy with thegreatest facility and with the least possible'number of separate blocks.

For the attainment of these ends and the accomplishment of other new anduseful objects, as will appear, the invention consists in the featuresof novelty in the construction, combination, and arrangement of theseveral parts generally shown in the accompanying drawing and describedin the specification "but more particularly pointed out in the appendedclaims.

In theaccompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a plan view of a selectedassortment of blocks forming a font, together with the hooks and catchestherefor. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of one of the catches, and Fig. Sisa perspective of the corner rabbeted section.

In printing from plates it is desirable not only that the minimum numberof blocks be employed for accurately making up the form for the pressbut it is also desirable that any desired variation may be made toaccommodate any size or shape of plates with the utmost speed andaccuracy. The present block system is adapted to present a simple methodof makeup by means of which it is possible to reduce or vary the form insize either in length or Width or both from the maximum to the minimum,or to enlarge from the minimum to the maximum with equal ease; in otherwords, to enable their variation to be made within the range of the fontitself in the least possible time.

In Fig. 1 of the drawing a number of Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 7, 1915.

Serial No. 745,349.

blocks of various sizes are shown, the sizes of the several blocks beingindicated by heavy lines l, and some of the blocks, as 5, are providedwith hooks to engage the edges of the plates to be printed, and beingoperative, in combination with catches 6, to secure the said plates inposition. The preferr d construction of the catches is shown moreclearly by Fig. 2, in which a projection 7 is formed with a slightlybeveled inner face 8. Each of the hooks comprises a screw 9 rotatable ina slotted portion 10 of the block 5 by means of a wheel 11. A threadednut 12 having a portion adapted to engage the sides of the slot 10, andhaving a clutch 13 extending above the surface of the block, is adaptedto be moved in the slot by the rotation of the wheel. The particularconstruction of this hook device is not a part of the present inventionbut enters into the combination to produce the desired results.Theblocks which constitute the font are graduated in size preferably insome unit of measurement known'in the art to which the inventionrelates, as, for eX- ample, in pica ems. The surface of the blocks is,therefore, preferably ruled or scored with light properly spaced lines,as shown in Fig. 1, to indicate more clearly the size of each block. Anentire font consists of a plurality of blocks adapted to be arranged insections, the sections each comprising a number of individual blockshaving one common dimension and varying other dimensions. The blocks ofa section are arranged contiguous to each other, and other sections areprovided in which the common dimension of its blocks differs from theoth r section but the varying dimensions are the same. A border is alsoprovided consisting of one or more sections of blocks each uniform inwidth and varying in length. The catches 6 constitute some of the bordersection blocks and the hooks 5 constitute some of the other bordersections. The catches 6 are preferably 2X8 units in size and the hooks8" units square. The other blocks, of which the font, as herein shownand described, is composed, comprise one block 14, 2% units square; oneblock 15, IGXQi units; three blocks 16, 8X24; one block 17, 0124.; twoblocks 18, 4x24; seven blocks 19, 8X8; three blocks 20, 8X6; five blocks21, 823; four blocks 22, 8X16; one block 23, 4X16; one block 24, 4x6;one block 25, 4x4;

nine blocks 26, 2X8 and four blocks 27, 2x6. It will be seen, therefore,that by combining and rearranging these blocks any desired form may bemade up to engage any plate or plates within the size limited by thecombined size of all the blocks, and by any desired variation. Thevariations in sizes are regular steps varying by two units in width andsince the hooks may be varied more than two units in length the possiblevariation of the distance between a hook and a catch is any distancelimited only by the distance apart of the hook and catch. By having theblocks arranged in regular sections, decreasing in size from the largestto the smallest in spaces of two units, it is possible to make anycombination with the utmost rapidity and to make any desired variationwithin the limits of the size of the font. By having the separate blocksin graduated widths or sections it is possible to move or shift a wholesection at once so that any desired change can be made in the quickestpossible manner by simply shifting the position of an entire course ofblocks having one dimension the same. It will also be noted that eithera transverse or a longitudinal row of blocks may be changed since theblocks of a single section are all the same Width and the various blocksof the different sections can be arranged to correspond as shown in thedrawing.

Some of the sections are formed with rabbeted corners, as shown moreclearly in Fig. 3, which, together with the hook sections, form one sideand one end of the block being made up. To makeup a complete block it isthe custom to lay out these rabbeted sections, first starting with thecorner piece, to the desired length and width of the block to beassembled. In the corner of the right angle thus formed fill in with oneof the large sections, then a smaller one and so on until the vacantspace is filled, finally placing opposite the hooks the catches 6, andthen filling up the block with the other necessary sections. Byproviding the border section with this rabbeted portion the clutches 13may be operated by means of a rack moved along the rabbeted portion, andby having the rabbeted blocks of the same size as other blocks in thefont they can be used interchangeably with the other ones when not inuse along the two sides of the border.

WVhat I claim is:

1. In a furniture font the combination of a plurality of separate blocksarranged in sections and adapted to constitute a form of given size, theblocks of each section being contiguous and having one common and onevariant dimension, and the blocks of other sections each having adifferent common dimension and the same variant dimensions.

2. In a block furniture system the combination of plurality of separatepieces adapted to be arranged in sections and to fill a form of givensize, the blocks of each section being contiguous and having one commonand one variant dimension, and the pieces of other sections each havinga different common dimension and the same variant dimensions, and aborder section having pieces of uniform width and differing in length.

3. In a furniture block system for making up forms of predetermined sizethe combination of a plurality of separate pieces adapted to be arrangedin sections, the blocks of each section being contiguous and having onecommon and one variant dimension, and the pieces of other sections eachhaving a different common dimension and the same variant dimensions, anda border section having pieces of uniform width and differing in length,and means to engage the edges of plates placed on top of the blocks.

In a furniture block system for making up forms of predetermined sizethe combination of a plurality of separate blocks adapted to be arrangedin sections, the blocks of each section being contiguous and having onecommon and one variant dimension, pieces of other sections each having adifferent common dimension and the same variant dimensions, and one ormore border sections having blocks of uniform width and differing inlength, some of the blocks of one border section being provided withcatches, and some of the blocks of another border section being providedwith hooks, said hooks and catches being adapted to engage a plateplaced on top of the blocks, and the hooks and catches being adjustableto any desired positions.

5. In a furniture block system for making up forms of predetermined sizefor printing plates, the combination of a plurality of separate blocksarranged in sections, the blocks of each section being contiguous andhaving one common and one variant dimension, and the blocks of othersections each having a different common dimension and the same variantdimensions, and one or more border sections each having blocks ofuniform width and varying in length, of a catch member comprising ablock of the width of one of said border sections having an inclinedprojection extending above the face of the other blocks, and a hookconsisting of an adjustable clamping member extending above one of theblocks of another border section and adapted to be moved to engage theedges of a plate placed on top of the blocks and to press the sameagainst the said catches to bind the plate firmly in position, saidhooks and catches being adapted to be moved into any desired positionswith respect to the other blocks and with respect to each other, theblocks filling the form.

6. In a furniture font for printers, the combination of a plurality ofrectangular blocks arranged contiguously in rectangular formation so asto form a plurality of series in both of the surface dimensions of suchformation, the blocks being of sizes such that the lines of cleavagebetween the different series in both directions will be straight linesand the different series in either direction will be of differentwidths.

7 In a furniture font for printers, the combination of a plurality ofrectangular blocks of different sizes arranged contiguously inrectangular formation constituting a plurality of series of differentwidths eX tending across the formation in each dimension of the surfacethereof, with straight lines of cleavage between the different series inboth directions, and catch-carrying members adapted to be insertedbetween the series along any one of the lines of cleavage.

8. In furniture for a printers chase, a rectangular form, straight linesof cleavage extending across the form in one direction and dividing theform into sections of di ferent widths, straight lines of cleavage eX-tending across the form in the other direction and dividing the forminto sections of difl'erent widths, and catch-carrying members adaptedto be inserted between the sections along the lines of cleavage wherebyprinting plates of various sizes may be socured in place.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses, on this 28th day of January A. D.1913.

GEORGE E. MCCABE.

Witnesses FRED RIGG, E. E. EMERY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patentsv Washington, D. C.

